Organ



Aug; Y, 193 5,

J. PUGET I 0mm Filed July 18, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 D00 000000 O0 O00 000 000000 0000 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O Patented Aug. 7, 1934 PATENT OFFICE ORGAN Jules Puget, Albi, France Application July 18, 1932, Serial No. 623,240 In France July 25, 1931 13 Claims. (Cl. 84-331) There are known radio electric organs in which the necessity of cumbersome pipes and of a wind supply such as are included in ordinary .pipe

organs is avoided through the use of emitting electron tubes of the type used in wireless'telegraphy, which are connected with suitably ar ranged oscillatory circuits, the working of said tubes being contro led by the operation of the keys of the keyboard.

The object of the present invention is to provide an easily transportable improved organ,

which may be either of the radio-electric type or of the pipe and wind supply type". The advantage of the organ according to my invention, is that it 15 is provided with a great number of stops making it possible to obtain the mostvaried qualities of tone, owing to an arrangement that is very simple, as compared with the complicated systems that were necessary for solving that problem with the means employed up to this time.

The experiments of Helmholtz have shown that the timbre or quality of a sound of given pitch results from the superposition to the fundamental -tone of a certain number of harmonics which are produced with respectively different intensities.

The principle of my invention consists in emit- ,ting, either through three electrodes electron tubes or through pipes, a sound of a. given quality in the form of a synthetic or combined sound, by

simultaneously closing, through the corresponding key and electrically actuated contacting devices, which can be at will placed .in or out of action, the circuits that control the tubes or the pipes that correspond to the fundamental tone and to its harmonics. The respective intensities of said harmonics and of said fundamental tone can be varied in order to obtain the desired timbres. 40 The harmonics that must be produced in order to obtain a given timbre or quality of tone havebeen determined by a previous analysis, for instance through the method of Helmholtz resonators. This makes it possible to choose, for each contacting devices juxtaposed along it as there are diiierent stops, and said contacting devices are connected through suitable resistances with connecting terminals each of which corresponds to a tube or a pipe giving a tone of determined pitch and intensity.

On the other hand, each group of contacting devices is located above an oscillating contact plate. Each stop comprises as many plates as there are notes in said stop. The swinging movement of the plates corresponding to each note and to each stop is obtained throughsmall electro-magnets the energizing circuits of which are subjected to a double control through series switches, depending both upon the note and upon the stop that it is desired to obtain.

Each of the above mentioned connecting terminals is inserted in the control circuit of a three .electrodes electron tube, or in an electric circuit comprising an electro-magnet serving to place a pipe in action.

As it will be readily understood, it is easy to provide any desired number of stops by disposing a corresponding number of bars or rods and of plates.

Of course, the organ according to my invention may comprise a plurality of keyboards and a pedal if it .is necessary. v

In the case in which the sounds produced by the apparatus according to my invention are emittedthrough pipes, said pipes are divided into three series each of which is disposed in a box impervious to sounds and opening into a common dome in which is located the microphone connected to a tube amplifier. The pipes of first box are intended to, give the fundamental sound, while the pipes of the second and third boxes give the;harmonics of the fundamental sound, the intensity of said harmonics being reduced in a determined proportion by meansof screens, for instance of cloth, of variable thickness stretched across the free upper ends of the second and third boxes. No. screen is provided on the first box.

. Thatreduction of intensity of the sound may for instance be for the pipes of the second -box and for the pipes of the third box, the

intensityof the fundamental sound of any pipe whatever of the first box being faken as a unit.

The experiments I have madeon the question have shown that this extremely simple arrange- .ment is sumcient for obtaining for practical purpieces connected thereto are devised;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view Fig. 3 corresponds to a synthetic pipe organ according to my invention and is a diagrammatic.

plan view of the three pipe boxes, the dome of the organ being supposed removed;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section onthe line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

' Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing, merely by way of example an electrically controlled pipe.

In the sectional view of Fig. 1, the framework of the organ is designated, in a general manner, by reference character 1. The key 2 that is shown in that figure is pivoted about axis 3, and is subjected to the action of a return spring 4.

To each note of each stop there corresponds a plate 66, made of a metal that is a good conductor of electricity, said plate being pivoted at 67 to a support also made of a'metal that is a good conductor of electricity, that support being fixed to the framework of the apparatus. Said plate 66, to the support of which is connected wire 32 of the circuit of the tubes, or of the circuit of the electro-magnets that operate the pipes, as the case may be, is provided at one of its ends with a portion 65 made of soft iron under which is disposed a stationary electro-magnet 69. All

the electro-magnets 69 placed in line with a given key correspond to the same note in different stops, and all the electro-magnets placed on the same line parallel to the row of keys correspond to the various notesof a given stop.

Above the electro-magnets and the plates 66 of a given stop, there is disposed a stationary bar or rod 12 (or 13), made of an insulating material, such as wood impregnated with paraffin, fibre, bakelite, etc., which bar preferably runs along the whole width of the keyboard. On said bar or rod are placed the contacting devices such as 19, which consist of groups of small needles such as 18, made of phosphorus bronze, acting as springs.

The number of said groups of needles is equal to that of the keys, and each of them comprises one needle corresponding to the fundamental sound, and two, three or more needles corresponding to the harmonics which, when superposed to the fundamental sound, give the desired timbre. In the case of Figs. 1 and 2, it has been supposed, for the sake of simplicity, that each group comprises only three needles, each needle being electrically connected to a'terminal.

The contacting organs of a group are placed along a distance that does notexceed the width of a plate 66.

The contacting organ that corresponds to the fundamental sound, to wit 19, is connected,

as a result of the energizing of an electron tube the plate of which may be, for instance, connected to a conductor 31 and therethrough to the terminals 26 corresponding to the note in question in the various stops, while the end 68 of the pivoting plates 66, which plates are electrically connected in series, is connected through a conductor 32 with the oscillatory circuit of said tube. The high tension current will be for instance supplied by generator 33. The sound emission through three electrodes electron tubes is Well known, and it is believed unnecessary to give more detailed explanations on that particular point.

When the pipe according to my invention is of the pipe organ type, instead of inserting in circuit 31, 32 a three electrodes electron tube as above explained, I dispose a winding 50forming a part of an electro-magnet the coreof which is shown at 51 (Fig. 6). Said electro-magnet controls a throttle valve 52 inserted in the conduit 53 that connects the organ pipe 54 to wind chest 55. Of course that arrangement should also comprise a return device (not shown) for bringing the valve back to its closed position as soon as the electric practice, the arrangement will not necessarily be limited to the diagrammatical disposition shown in Fig. 6, and relays of any suitable type may of course be interposed between electro-magnet 50-51 and valve 52-53.

The needles 21 and 22 are connected to terminals 35 and 36 of the board corresponding to bar or rod 12, suitably chosen resistances 37 and 38 being interposed. in these connections if the organ is of the electron tube type. Said terminals 35 and 36 are those that correspond to notes of higher pitch and are also directly connected to contacting organs corresponding to fundamental sounds, in the same way as terminal 26 is directly connected to needle 18. Owing to electric connections similar to those above described, and which, for the sake of clearness, have not been shown in detail for all the contacting devices, two other electron tubes (or two other pipes in the case of a pipe organ) are brought into operation by said needles 21 and 22 simultaneously with the tube (or the pipe) corresponding to the fundamental sound, but in such manner as to produce a sound that "is not so intense, owing to the presence of resistances 3'7 and 38 in the case of electron tubes or, in the case of a pipe organ, through an arrangement that will be hereinafter described.

Therefore, to sum up, by depressing key 2, two

' fitted with the suitable number of contacting devices and corresponding electric connections. It will be possible, by introducing supplementary contacting devices, electro-magnets and control plates-to obtain the emission of harmonics corresponding to sounds of much higher pitch than the main sounds corresponding to the keys of the keyboard. Thus said keyboard may comprise only 61 keys (5 octaves) the instrument being capable of producing two octaves of harmonics, the number of tubes, in a radio-electric organ being then equal to 85.

The energizing of electro-magnet 69 is obtained in the following manner: when key 2 is depressed by the organ player, it produces the contact of a circuit breaker called note circuit-breaker", the two terminals 56 and 57 of which are fixed, the one to the key 2, and the other one to the frame of the organ. To said terminals 56 and 5'! are respectively connected two conductors 58 and 59, which will be hereinafter called fnote lines". Line 58 is sufliciently flexible at its end adjacent the key to allow for the displacements of said key. n said line, immediately after terminal 56, there is inserted an electric battery or any other source of current 73, which supplies the energy necessary for energizing the electro-magnets of the different stops that correspond to key 2.

On the other hand, parallelly to each of the T rods 12 corresponding to the stops, I provide two conductors 62 and 63, which will be hereinafter called the stop line. For each of the notes of a given stop, the winding 69 of the corresponding electro-magnet is connected in shunt with note line 59 and stop line 62. As for note line 58, it is merely connected in a fixed way with stop line 63. The stop lines 62 and 63 are connected at their ends with a circuit-breaker 64 called stop circuit-breaker". r In that way, when a key 2 is depressed, it always closes the note circuit breaker 56, '7, but a note of a given stop is emitted only if the corresponding stop circuit-breaker 64 is closed.

The operation of the above described arrangement will be easily understood by studying the bars or rods 12 and 13 corresponding to two dif-.

ferent stops and shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The stop corresponding to bar 12 is shown out of action,

while the stop corresponding to bar 13 is in the operative position (key 2 being in this case supposed to be depressed). 'Circuit breaker 64 is therefore open, while the organ player has closed circuit breaker 71, thus energizing electro-magnet '70. When key 2 is released, it comes back to its,

initial position under the action of its return spring 4, and plate 72 is moved away from its electro-magnet '70 under the action of return spring 74.

The stop circuit-breakers 64, 71, etc., the number 01' whichis equal to that of the stops of the instrument, may be of any suitable type, and they may be all fixed at any point of the frame of the instrument, within easy reach of the organ player.

In the case of a radio-electric organ, each keyboard will be combined with a special amplifier provided with a control-volume. Said amplifier will in turn feed a last amplifier also provided with a control volume, which will energize the loud speaker.-

In the case of a pipe organ, the instrument comprises three sets of pipes, for instance closed flue pipes. taves-and accordingly 109 pipesfrom the 16 feet pipe. The second and third sets will comprise eight octaves and accordingly 9! pipes, starting from the 8 feet pipe.

These three sets of pipes a, b, 0 (Figs. 3, 4 and v 5) are inclosed in sound-proof boxes A B C open number of the bands of cloth are different from one box to the other so that the intensity of the The first set will comprise nine 00- sounds emitted, by the pipes of box B may be attenuated in. a different proportion as compared to that of the sounds emitted by the pipes of box C.

It is possible, for instance to adjust the instrument in such manner that the intensity of the sounds emitted by pipes b and 0 may be respectively one half and one third of the intensity of the sounds emitted by pipes a. The latter, which emit the sounds with their full intensity, will give the fundamental sound, while pipes 12 and c, which produce sounds reduced in the above mentioned ratio, will give the harmonics of said fundamental sound.

The electric tontacting devices will operate, through a suitable electro-magnet, in the manner above described, so as to produce the fundamental sound on the sets of pipes a and the harmonies on one or several of the pipes b, c, according to the intensity which is desired, account being taken of the analysis of the sounds that has been previously made. I

In order to obtain a greater power and a'greater variety of timbres', I may dispose side by side in the same organ several series of boxes'A, B, C, identical to those that have beenjust described,

each corresponding to a keyboard of the organ and to. the pedal.

While I have described what I deem to be a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of my invention as comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An organ comprising in combination, several sets of emitting means for producing simple tones, each set having a different constant intensity of emission which is the same for all of its emitting means, a plurality of keys, a plurality of means associated with each key for operating each a different combination of said emitting means, and means for selectively causing one of the second mentioned means to be operated by said key, so that each key may produce a plurality of different combinations of a fundamental tone and of harmonics produced in the different sets of emitting means.

2. An organ comprising in combination several sets of emitting means for producing simple tones, each set having a different constant intensity of emission which is the same for all of its emitting means, a plurality of electric circuits for operating said emitting means, a plurality of keys, a plurality of groups of electric contacting means associated with each key, each of said contacting means closing the electriccircuit of one of said emitting means, so that each group of contacting means may operate a different combination of said emitting means, and means for selectively causing one of said groups of contacting means to be operated 'by said key so that each key may produce a plurality of different combinations of a fundamental tone and of harmonies producedin the diiierent sets of emitting means.

3. An organ comprising in combination, three sets of means for producing simple tones, each set having a different constant intensity of emission which is the same for all of, its emitting means, a plurality of keys, a plurality of means associated with each key for operating each a different combination of said emitting means,

and means for selectively causing one of the second mentioned means to be operated by said key, so that each key may produce a plurality of different combinations of a fundamental tone and its emitting means, a plurality of electric circuits for operating said emitting means, a plurality of keys, a plurality of groups of electric contacting means associated With each key, each of said contacting means closing the electric circuit of one of said emitting means, so that each group of contacting means may operate a different combination of said emitting means, and means for selectively causing one of said groups of contacting means to be operated by said key so that each key may produce a. plurality of different combinations of a fundamental tone and of harmonics produced in the different sets of emitting means.

5. An organ comprising in combination several sets of pipes for producing simple tones, a plurahty of sound-proof boxes each containing one of said sets of pipes a common chamber in which all of said boxes open, a plurality of screens of different thicknesses covering the open ends of all oftsaid boxes respectively except one, a plurality of electric circuits for operating said emitting means, a plurality of keys, a. plurality of groups of electric contacting means associated,

with each key, each of said contacting means closing the electric circuit of one of said pipes so that each group of contacting means may operate a different combination of pipes, and means for selectively causing one of said groups of contacting means to be operated by said key so that each key may produce a plurality of different combinations of a fundamental tone and of harmonies produced in the different sets of pipes.

6. An organ comprising in combination three similar sets of emitting means for producing simple tones, the second and the third set of emitting means having intensities of emission that. are respectively one-third and two-thirds of the intensity of emission of the first set of emitting means, a plurality of electricacircuits for operating said emitting means, a plurality of keys, a plurality of groups of electric contacting means associated with each key, each of said contacting means closing .the electric circuit'of one of said emitting means, so that each group of contacting means may operate a different combination of said emitting means, and means for selectively-causing one of said groups of contacting means to be operated by said key so that each key may produce a plurality of different combinations of a fundamental tone and of harmonies produced in the three different sets of emitting means.

7. An organ comprising in combination several sets of emitting means for producing simple tones, each set having adiiferent constant intensity of emission which is the same for all of its emitting means, a plurality of electric cir-- cuits for operating said emitting means, a plurality of keys, a plurality of groups of electric contacting means associated with each key, each of said contacting means closing the electric circuit of one of said emitting means, so that each group of contacting means may operate a. different combination of said emitting means, means for selectively causing one of said groups of contacting means .to be operated by said key so that each key may produce a plurality of different combinations of a fundamental tone and of harmonics produced in the different sets of emitting means, a common chamber into which all of said sets of emitting means open, a microphone in said chamber and means for converting the electric current fromsaid microphone into sounds.

8. An organ comprising in combination three sets of pipes for producing simple tones, three soundproof boxes containing said three sets of pipes respectively, a common chamber in which all of said boxes open, two screens of different thicknesses covering the open ends of two of said boxes respectively, so that the intensities of emission of the two last mentioned sets of pipes are reduced to respectively one-third and twothirds of the intensity of emission of the other set of pipes, a. plurality of electric circuits for operating said emitting .means, a plurality of keys, a plurality of groups of electric contacting means associated with each key, each of said contacting means closing the electric circuit of one of said pipes so that each group of contacting means may operate a different combination of pipes; and means for selectively causing one of said groups of contacting means to be operated -by said key so that each key may produce a plurality of diiferent combinations of a fundamental tone and of harmonics produced in the different sets of pipes.

9. An organ comprising in combination a plurality of sets of emitting means for producing simple tones, each-set having a different constant intensity of emission which is the same for all of its emitting means, a plurality of electric circuits foroperating said emitting means respectively, a plurality of keys, a plurality of groups of electric contacting means associated with each key, each of said contacting means closing the electric circuit of one of said emitting means respectively, so that each group of contacting means'may operate a different combination of said emitting means, a plurality of circuit breakers for selectively placing each set of said groups of electric contacting means into operative position with respect to said keys, and means for causing each key to operate one group of contacting means of said set respectively so tone and the other to harmonics of said tone,

means for reducing the intensities of emission of said harmonics in accordance with the quality of tone that is desired, a plurality of keys, each corresponding to one of said groups, for actuating said groups of contacting means respectively,. .and means for causing only one of said sets of groups of electric contacting means to cooperate with said keys.

11. An organ comprising in combination, a plurality of emitting electron tubes for producing simple tones, a plurality of electric circuit:

for said emitting tubes. at least two sets of groups of electric contacting means, each group of one set corresponding to one note, for simultaneously closing several of said electric circuits, one of which corresponds to the fundamental tone and the otherones to harmonics of.

said tone, resistances in the contacting means corresponding to the circuits that produce said harmonics, so as to obtain a given quality of tone, a plurality of keys, each corresponding to one of said groups, for actuating said groups of contacting means respectively, and means for causing only one of said sets of groups of electric contacting means to cooperate with said keys.

12. An organ comprising in combination, a plurality of sets of organ pipes, a plurality of sound-proof boxes each containing one of said sets of pipes, a common dome in which open all of said boxes, a microphone in said dome, means for converting the electric current from said microphone into sounds, a plurality of screens of different thicknesses covering the open ends of all of said boxes respectively except one; a plurality of electric means for operating said pipes respectively, a plurality of sets of groups of electric contacting means, each group of one set corresponding to one note, for simultaneously operating the electric means corresponding to several pipes taken in the different set of pipes, a plurality of keys, each corresponding to one of said groups, for actuating said groups of contacting means respectively, and means for caus-"- ing only one" of said sets of groups of electric contacting means to cooperate with said keys.

13. An organ comprising in combination, a plurality of emitting means for producing simple tones, a plurality of electric circuits for operating said emitting means, a plurality of sets of groups of flexible needles, a corresponding number of sets of pivoting metallic plates, each corresponding to one note, adapted to come in contact with said groups respectively, means for connecting one needle of each group directly to one of said circuits, for producing the fundamental tone, means for connecting the other needles of the same group to other circuits; for producing harmonics of said fundamental tone, means for connecting the pivoting plate that corresponds to the same group to said circuits, an electric circuit for all the plates of one set, a circuit breaker in the last mentioned circuit, another electric circuit for all the plates of different sets respectively that correspond to the same note, said two last mentioned circuits being connected to each other respectively at one point, a source of current in the last mentioned circuit, an electro-magnet for operating each of said pivoting plates connected on one side to one of the two last mentioned circuits and on the other side to the other one of said two circuits, a circuit-breaker in the last mentioned circuit, a key for operating each of said circuit breakers, and means for reducing the intensities of emission of said harmonics in accordance to the de-- sired quality of tone.

,JULES PUGE'IZ'. 

